When I had a job, I had two hobbies.
- Blogging
- Animal Rescue
Now my job is blogging and I have five cats.
I don’t have a hobby and I need your help. What do you like to do with your free time? What should I do?
April Dowling makes jewelry. Franny Oxford is super-crafty. Human Resources Pufnstuf is a comedian and he plays in a Wii rockband that he’s now calling Tainted Cans of Poop.
I like to drink and watch TV. I garden out of necessity because it doesn’t make sense for me to spend money on my yard when I could spend that money on myself.
Any advice for me?
{ 62 comments… read them below or add one }
Historical novels are a cool genre & a great way to armchair-travel around the world/through the ages while supporting your local library. Model trains are fun but spendy. Then there’s volunteering with your non-profit of choice (your local nature conservancy probably has community gardens or school outreach programs they need help with, e.g.)
I’m only crafty because I liked to have something to do with my hands. They laughed at me at Talentcamp because I cross-stitched the entire time we were together.
I’m definitely settling into being a southern old lady. I’m even studying to become a certified master gardener, which is awesome because I get to meet lots of much older people who really know what they’re talking about. Why don’t you pick up gardening, too? You live in a part of the country with beautiful gardens and lots of friendly people who would be more than happy to help you learn.
Or hey! There’s always cooking. It’s fun and the rewards taste great.
Wine collector and/or critic. It’s very classy and you’re sure to have alcohol at your fingertips all the time.
I vote for wine. Or eating. That’s mine.
I think wildlife rehab would be right up your alley, except for all the pee and poo you have to clean up.
fantasy sports (your already online)
shopping (you travel alot)
Wine club (enough said)
volunteer at a local organization helping people find their passion!
Or you can skip having an “official Hobby” and just do what ever you feel like doing when you have time…
PS – I know you don’t really want to do fantasy sports….
M
My hobby before I changed jobs last year was quilting, and since I work full-time that means about 2 small quilts a year. Since changing jobs I don’t have time for that and my hobby seems to be opening mail, paying bills and getting caught on on emails. My other “hobbies” are helping kids do their homework and providing food to my family. Then after I am done with those hobbies, I move on to eating, enjoying wine, and napping – usually in that order.
I am the king of hobbies! I make knifes for extra cash, build rockets to amaze the local kids, fly kites to relax, shop so my wife can dress to the nines every day, rock climb, skydive, snowboard, kayak, and shoot rifles, shotguns, pistols and recurve bows. For the last few years I have been planing and executing a fireworks show for friends. Last year we had almost 100 people attend and the local town finally ask if I would just put on their show since our has exceeded theirs.
In the words of -Robert A. Heinlein
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
My main hobby is eating, which means my other hobbies are
1. Going to the gym
2. Going to the grocery store
3. Reading cooking blogs
4. Cooking
Now that I do not have to work for a living, I also volunteer. I do stuff at church (bake for bake sales, see above). I read to little kids at a charter school. I will be helping at a church store selling third-world crafts. I plan to launch a hostile takeover of the store and run it as soon as possible. When I was in the Peace Corps, I worked with indigenous women who wove and sold their traditional textiles, so I know this stuff.
I also really like sleeping past 5:00 a.m. and not having to make my gyn appointments from a cubicle surrounded by male coworkers.
Play hockey.
(We all like to drink. Sometimes a lot.)
The cardinal rule of choosing a hobby, is it should make you smile. I beleive we all do enough crap we don’t want do all day, so as long as it’s something you want to do, it can be your hobby.
Based on your interests I would recommend any of the following hobbies:
*Home Bacon Curing
*Feline Glamour Photography
*Reality T.V. Concept Development
Moose wrangling. Definitely moose-wrangling. Gets lots of comments when you tell that to people.
John C: I admire your willingness to try different things. I think men today have lost the passion for adventure.
What people do not realize that if you do things that de-stress, you become a more pleasant person.
I have a lot of hobbies which include:
Guitar
Woodcarving
Painting
Drawing
Horses
Dogs
Sailing
My son and I are going to get into shooting.
Any advice on getting started?
Nascar fan. It’s very classy and you’re sure to have alcohol at your fingertips all the time.
Music. I’m learning guitar now 20+ years later than I probably should of started. Learning on my own too, although some lessons are probably needed at this point.
Rockband is great too. Some good punk songs there…
Sports. With basketball and hockey season here, I’ll be spending many, many evenings over the next few months with my Caps, Wizards and Terps.
If you can learn to ride a unicycle while juggling on your way to a ceramics class then you’ll be all set.
I’m trying to learn German. Pick a language and dive in. Subscribe to a foreign language newspaper or mag and try to look at it every day. Also, I’ve been trying to educate myself on wild mushrooms; I’ve successfully identified and eaten one and lived. I’m working on an outline for a book. Anything.
Mafia Wars, Making Jewelry, Painting, Reading, Scrapbooking, and baking.
Play Roller Derby!! Visit WFTDA’s (Women’s Flat Track Derby Assn) website to find a league in your area: http://wftda.com/leagues
– Sincerely,
Jean Mutation, CT RollerGirls
I’m with Ken, the language thing is a great hobby. Reading is great too – novels and philosophy are more rewarding, but comics are easier to find time for. Aside from that, my list:
-Writing music
-Drawing
-Writing
-Kendo (now somewhat lapsed)
-Muay thai
I think you should try kendo. Nothing quite so stress-relieving as screaming at someone and hitting them in the head with a big stick, let me tell you.
Wildlife Rehab? Sounds an awful lot like my HR career…..poop included. I’d suggest cooking, eating and drinking. They each supplement the other. I haven’t met too many HR folks who didn’t drink…….a lot. I have also found a great deal of satisfaction from gardening. You can actually enjoy the results for a time. And some out of touch, dirt brained CEO didn’t stomp all over it and demand it be done again only with the blue ones there and the yellow ones over there,.
Are you a dog person? Try skijoring. It’s a cross between dog sledding and cross country skiing. It’s a blast. The best part is the dog does most of the work.
I need a hobby, too, but every time I think up something, it feels like another chore. I’m from a family of very talented women, but I didn’t seem to inherit that crafty gene. Anything involving sewing or a glue gun gives me rage. I haven’t identified anything I love so much I’d want to do it over watching TV, online shopping, or eating cookies.
Yet, I feel I need to do something besides work (since my other options are laundry and cleaning toilets). I don’t have kids, so I develop the guilt that comes from my Protestant Work Ethic telling me to do something productive with my spare time. Especially now that the dark, depressing Seattle winter is setting in.
Yet I am still at a loss. Everybody tells you to think about what you love to do. I love to sleep. But I can’t possibly do that all day. (Or could I?)
What about dog/animal transporting? Join the yahoo group On the Road Again to see what’s coming through your area each weekend.
Knitting maybe? I can teach you. Also, baking is a good hobby — the payoff is excellent, clearly, because you get to eat everything you produce.
Personally, I’m considering taking a tap dancing class (no, seriously, I am).
My only hobbies these days are playing some of the best video games that have come out in the past 2-3 years– usually WW2 first person shooters or flying games— the graphics and gameplay have improved dramatically these days– and it’s pure escapist joy!! Now– if there only was an HR video game where you can go into the CEO’s office, and tell them how f-ed up they are– and how you would do things differently and…. with great graphics… and everyone’s hot…. and…. and….
I HAVE to go to art galleries every weekend too.
Oh– and I take naps.
I think you should become an art collector, Laurie.
I agree with a few of the others…go back to animal rescue. It could be any kind of animal. I rescue Sheltland Sheepdogs but I saw a ferret rescue at a Pet Expo once. Or the wildlife thing could be rewarding too. Hockey is a sometimes hobby for me too. Watching though, not playing! I stand up and shout cuss words too much at live hockey games though. One day, I will get kicked out. I prefereably should stick to animals…and let’s not forget music!
Puf’s response gave me a great idea for you – home brewing beer. You get to buy a bunch of crap, mess with it for a long time, and your finished product is beer. How can that be wrong?
Photography is a great hobby. It makes traveling even more fun and helps you appreciate everything around you. The only issue with photography is how expensive it is. I have about $7,000 worth of equipment and that’s nothing compared to some people, but to me it’s worth it.
I’m with controllergirl. You could do wine, too, then combine your home-brewing hobby with wine tasting. If you get good at it, you could even start your own hobby winery on the side.
I’m going with @ReviewSNAP. You take pictures anyway when you’re out so why not make a hobby of it?
Or pet grooming? All the fun of the pets without the poop or temptation to adopt.
My husband likes to brew beer as a hobby; its messy and it stinks but he loves it so I support him. Before jewelry my hobby was cooking but I left out the going to the gym part which makes for weight gain so no more cooking projects. I also like to read, pretty much everything though I’m partial to fiction. I can recommend some good ‘girl power’ fiction books that will make you laugh your butt off.
Now that you reside below the Mason-Dixon line, I think it’s a requirement that your hobby be Hunting helpless animals. My son lives just down the road from you and I’m sure he would be glad to let you tag along.
If you don’t want to get up on cold mornings and sit in the woods by yourself, I like the idea from HR PufnStuf – Feline Glamour Shots. You KNOW people would pay for that and you’d be great at it. You’re also in Petsmart enough that they would probably be happy to let you set up a booth. Even better – a mobile van for pet photography. Now *that’s* a moneymaker!
Or, you could always be a Pet Psychic. Maybe that’s an side biz/hobby from Clueless at Love?
If I had the time I would learn a new language. In September we started our 2 1/2 year old at a preschool which is part of a synagogue. A month later he already knows more Hebrew than I do.
Perhaps it’s time for you to venture back into the jungle ( a 9-5).
I knit, but for real fun, try Tai Chi as a martial art. As an old fart I am qualified to knee an opponent or just tip them over if I’m feeling generous. It helps the self esteem. Also keeps Friend and Lover on his toes.
@Mark Parbus
It depends on where your lcoated and what you want to shoot. rifle, pistol, shotgun or all three. But http://uspsa.org/ or http://www.idpa.com/ are both good places to look for local competitions. USPSA is game orientated, while IDPA is practical real life defensive shooting. Cost is also a major consideration when deciding what to shoot, a custom race gun, mags, holster and belt can push you well into the thousands. Ruger MK2 pistol setup will get you running and gunning under 600. Everyone I know who has given sporting clays a shot has loved it, you can get in cheap ~1500, its like golf with a gun minus the heavy drinking.
@ Jennifer McClure – Excellent idea she should also try her hand with some corn mash and a night coon hunting.
@ Rick Shanley – My sister and brother in-law concur.
So you’re a writer, you’re creative, you care about animals, you have 5 cats — you and Mr. Scrubby should write a line of children’s books about being kind to animals. Sort of like the “American Girl” line of dolls and books –have a stuffed animal and book to go with it. And start with Mr. Scrubby! Peter Barnes writes children’s books I’ll be he’d get you hooked up with a publisher!
I’m a genealogist. That’s my hobby (although I’m thinking of dumping my blog and doing it professionally, so I guess then I’d need something else as a hobby…probably diaper-changing or watching WordGirl or sleeping or something).
Anyway, it’s awesome. It gives you a whole new perspective on your family and on history. Plus, dead people are a lot easier to get along with, and they don’t throw up on your carpet like cats or send you emails asking you to review bad business books like PR people do.
i like to shoot shit with guns (well, not really shit…mostly dove, pheasant, and quail). what i really like about upland hunting is the juxtaposition of the tranquility of nature and the violence of fire arms. plus you get to hang out with your dog. if you can find a way to get your cats to point, that would be really cool. talk about a hobby..
You should learn how to do all the dances to all the videos from Rythym Nation by Janet Jackson. She’s a SHOWTY too and also, I think your hair would look cool all flipping around like that.
I play an instrument, love friends & family pictures so I make scrapbooks and give them away as presents, and I read.. Hobbies are things you try , sometime by yourself sometimes with others- do you have a lot of family and friend pics around?
I like going to garage sales. What can I say I think it’s “the hunt” that gets me..although I’m never looking for anything specific. I like the wine tasting idea…You could also be a bacon tasting reviewer….:)
Writing and Tweeting; Walking; Wiiing; Listening to NPR and Tony Kornheiser; Reading on Google Reader; and like to see people wearing a Snuggie and ride on their Segway and beat the snot out of them.
First time commenting, long time reader (works on the radio for first time callers, thought I’d try it on your blog). Anyway, physical activity has always worked for me. I have a crazy competitive streak so getting into a workout regimine works great for me. Its great cuz you can always compete with yourself, listen to whatever music you like, and if you are lucky enough to be in a place that offers great weather (I live in Milwaukee so not so lucky) you can do cardio outside.
If that doesnt sound fun then I’d suggest gambling, video games, volunteering, brewing beer, or cooking.
Homebrewing. Making your own beer is great way to combine drinking and watching TV.
I would take up Mixed Martial Arts. It pays big money if you knocj someone out, and you already kick ass!
@lruettimann= The Next Kimbo Slice
Can’t help you here, I don’t really have any hobbies. I used to podcast with my husband under fake names and we’d get drunk and talk. There was a whole high school in Pennsylvania that was addicted to our show. But my husband got board with it, so I went back to watching HGTV.
You don’t need hobby. I refer to Sumser’s Dream Job post…
I’m kind of a Debbie Downer on this subject. “I can’t” comes up a lot. I wonder if I’m scared to try new things? Hmmmm. Also, my other hobby is narcissism combined with self-deprecation.
*
@Kentropic Historical novels. That could be good.
@Franny My friend, Jen Nardi, enjoys her master gardener classes. Hmmmm.
@Sarah No shit you vote for wine. And cosmos. And Chicago.
@Mel How is that different from now??
@MarkF I do want to learn more about wine.
@Ginger Whoa, sounds like you need some new hobbies, too.
@JohnC I make knives for extra cash. Best comment on my blog. Ever.
@Class Well those hobbies are all good! I like the sleeping past 5AM part.
@Rick Since you know me personally and I’ve seen you puke, we should probably refrain from talking about alcohol. PS — you still coming to FAIL, next week? xoxoxox
@Puf *Reality T.V. Concept Development I have some ideas. How did you know??
@Barbara I don’t live near a moose. Just cats. I do cat wrangling every day.
@Mark Those are dude-hobbies. Good ones, but not for me. Thanks, though.
@Frank I am in NASCAR country.
@BenG I grew up watching Chicago teams. Cubs. Bears. Sports depresses me.
@Glen Oh yeah, that would be awesome. Let’s throw in a yoga session, too.
@Ken OMG, mushrooms. I just decided, the other day, that I can finally eat mushrooms. I hate the texture but they are so yummy in stuff. Raw? No thanks.
@Breanne Is Mafia Wars a hobby or an addiction?
@Tara LOL, my father loved roller derby in the 70s. I loved Whip It. That’s such a fun idea.
@Ian Kendo? Hmmmm. Must google.
@Rainey I like to garden, too, but it’s hard work. It’s like a job.
@Suz I am a dog person but we can’t get a dog until one of the cats dies (house rule). I will totally try skijoring.
@H.Aria I need a hobby, too, but every time I think up something, it feels like another chore. OMG, thank you. You wrote that so well. That’s how I feel.
@Sweat That’s a good idea. Animal transport is nuts. Have you done it? I’ve done it a few times and it was not for the timid. “Here’s a strange dog. Go.”
@Meg OMG, tap. That is hilarious. We could do some knitting, yo.
@MattyMat I have no hand/eye coordination. Also, I can’t possibly spend another minute in front of a tv/monitor. It’s statistically impossible!
@BZTat I collect Stickley furniture. Scrubby pees on it. Art might be a better option.
@Hooligan The problem is that I cannot say no to fostering. Seriously, I cannot. I’m broken when it comes to animals. I can’t even go to PetSmart without trying to scheme my way into fostering an animal. Ugh. It’s an addiction. Not healthy.
@controllergirl Who cleans up?
@ReviewSnap I love photography. Brother-in-law is a commercial photographer. Husband is an amateur. Does that make me derivative if I do it?
@Ian I need a wine tutor.
@adowling I love to read and I trade books with people. Love silly fiction but not romance novels. Fabio? Gross. Spy novels? No thanks. I like books about love and loss that break my heart. Maybe I can make a little book-swapping website?
@Jennifer Now listen, no shooting animals for me. I did run over an already dead squirrel, the other day, and I started to cry. Sheesh. I’m a softie except when it comes to bacon.
@Corey My biggest regret is that I never learned another language. So easy when you’re young, isn’t it?
@Shane Now hush. I have a job. I write, speak, consult, get $$ from crazy places, and I’m turning down work. So let’s do something fun.
@Ali I once knew a boy that did Tai Chi. That didn’t end well for me, but I shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Is it a hobby or a sport?
@JohnC You need a shootin blog.
@China Whoa, that’s awesome. Thank you.
@Kerry That’s an awesome hobby. I worked with a woman named Ruthie Rosenberg who was not Jewish but married a Jewish guy and hung out with Mormons and did awesome genealogy reports on her family. She was a secretary with Parke Davis (& then Pfizer) for a squazillion years and finally retired. God, I miss her.
@Charlie I’ve been shooting at the range. Not animals. I’m don’t have the killer instinct.
@Maren Hmmmm. I was thinking of growing out my hair and I did see Miss Jackson (cuz I’m nasty) in concert in 1989 with my BFF, April Lopez-Helms when she was just April Lopez and we thought we were gonna be famous.
@Debbie You must follow @genochurch on Twitter and ask him about Fiksateers and Scrapbitches! http://www.brainsonfire.com/people.aspx?id=13,4
@Nicole Your gravatar is Don Ramer’s picture and IT’S FREAKING ME OUT.
@Tracy I do everything except the Snuggie part. Hmmmm.
@RickRo Thanks, dude. Glad ur commenting. I do run — well, uh, trot — but it’s the lazy season for me. Is exercising a hobby or a burden?
@ScottS I don’t really drink beer. [burp]
@Michael I know someone who works for the UFC. Crazy. They actually hire real people though job boards!
@GenX Podcasting could be a hobby.
@Jonathan Sumser and I were thinking alike. http://punkrockhr.com/meaninful-work-purpose-and-skill/ Also, I don’t need a hobby but I like to diversify my life. I’m in a rut.
Volunteer at the local Bingo Palor
or
Start an Over 8 Ultimate Fighting Club with the local neighborhood kids
* Bridging the future and the past often helps us live in the present.
I heart music. Do you have any musical talents? We could start a band.
p.s. It’s good to stop back by here I’ve missed the conversation. Oh, yeah I’m super stoked about meeting you next week!
My hobby is “Francing.” About to make my third trip in four years to France. A week in Provence and a week in Paris each time. The months of planning and researching in advance of the actual trip qualify as Francing. Been to the last three towns in which Vincent Van Gogh lived, been to the sites where some of his great paintings were created including the famous wheat field, paid my respects at his grave. Been to Monet’s estate at Giverny and to the museum in Paris where his large scale water lilies are shown. Francing includes watching French movies and drinking French wine and emailing my travel mates obsessively.
Write a novel. Words come easily to you, you are creative and funny (like me!). Everyone’s got a book in them somewhere. Unleash yours. Mine’s a work in progress.
50 comments on your blog and you respond to each and every one. You are amazing, Laurie.
Um, when are you going to have time for a hobby?
I love all these suggestions. I think stand-up comedy is the answer. Kathy Griffin has nothing on you!
Wow, I’m really a latecomer to this party, but I don’t see a suggestion better than China’s. Write kids books about cats. Or just get back into cat rescue. You know that you don’t have to take any more home to do the work that needs to be done (I have 5 dogs, all around 40 lbs. each, so I know how hard it is to resist just taking an animal yourself!). Writing children’s books is the best, though, cuz it will help pay for those vet bills.
@David Bridging the future and the past often helps us live in the present. You almost made me cry. That’s exactly right.
@Amanda Zero. I can be a groupie.
@Eric Oh I totally want that habit. I would also do Italianing.
@NZHR I’m such a bad fiction writer it hurts.
@BZ Someone told me that successful people don’t have hobbies. They have lives. I’ve been thinking about that, too.
@Kirsten How do I overcome stage fright?
@Joan I’ve been clearly instructed to stay 40 ft away from animals who need homes.This includes lizards, bunnies, and guinea pigs. Especially hedgehogs.
Start your own project and help stray cats! Just like you, I am a cat lover and if it wasn’t because I only have a two bedroom apt. I would sooo have more…
Anyway everyday I walk to the bus stop to go to work and I see so many kittens and cats wondering all alone and I immediately want to grab them all and take them home
If I had the time I would dedicated to cats and of course other animals.
Sleep or online shop